Aging: The Epigenetic Clock, Aging, and Rejuvenation

Aging published this trending paper on February 24, 2021, entitled, “Aging and rejuvenation - a modular epigenome model” by researchers from Institute for Biochemical Research (INIBIOLP) - Histology B and Pathology B, School of Medicine, National University of La Plata, La Plata, Argentina; Institute for Experimental Pharmacology (IFEC), School of Chemical Sciences, National University of Cordoba, Cordoba, Argentina; World Academy of Art and Science (WAAS), Napa, CA; Betterhumans Inc., Gainesville, FL.

Abstract:
The view of aging has evolved in parallel with the advances in biomedical sciences. Long considered as an irreversible process where interventions were only aimed at slowing down its progression, breakthrough discoveries like animal cloning and cell reprogramming have deeply changed our understanding of postnatal development, giving rise to the emerging view that the epigenome is the driver of aging. The idea was significantly strengthened by the converging discovery that DNA methylation (DNAm) at specific CpG sites could be used as a highly accurate biomarker of age defined by an algorithm known as the Horvath clock. It was at this point where epigenetic rejuvenation came into play as a strategy to reveal to what extent biological age can be set back by making the clock tick backwards. Initial evidence suggests that when the clock is forced to tick backwards in vivo, it is only able to drag the phenotype to a partially rejuvenated condition. In order to explain the results, a bimodular epigenome is proposed, where module A represents the DNAm clock component and module B the remainder of the epigenome. Epigenetic rejuvenation seems to hold the key to arresting or even reversing organismal aging.

To date, this study has generated an Altmetric Attention Score of 34. The Altmetric Attention Score provides an at-a-glance indication of the volume and type of online attention the research has received.

Keywords: aging, DNA methylation, epigenetic clock, rejuvenation, cell reprogramming

About Aging

Launched in 2009, Aging publishes papers of general interest and biological significance in all fields of aging research and age-related diseases, including cancer—and now, with a special focus on COVID-19 vulnerability as an age-dependent syndrome. Topics in Aging go beyond traditional gerontology, including, but not limited to, cellular and molecular biology, human age-related diseases, pathology in model organisms, signal transduction pathways (e.g., p53, sirtuins, and PI-3K/AKT/mTOR, among others), and approaches to modulating these signaling pathways.

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